Point of Care Testing and Transfusion Safety in Resource Limited Settings: A Review
نویسندگان
چکیده
Worldwide, one of the fastest growing aspects of clinical laboratory testing is point of care testing (POCT). Decentralized patient care and access to testing in under-served areas are key elements in the evolving expansion of POCT. Several available POCT devices can potentially contribute to safer transfusion practices in resourcelimited settings. Only "rapid diagnostic tests" and some simple hemoglobinometers are normally encountered in the peripheral hospitals of low income countries. Strengths, weaknesses and barriers of large scale utilization of POCT in transfusion medicine are discussed.
منابع مشابه
Point-of-Care Diagnostics for Improving Maternal Health in South Africa
Improving maternal health is a global priority, particularly in high HIV-endemic, resource-limited settings. Failure to use health care facilities due to poor access is one of the main causes of maternal deaths in South Africa. "Point-of-care" (POC) diagnostics are an innovative healthcare approach to improve healthcare access and health outcomes in remote and resource-limited settings. In this...
متن کاملPearls and Pitfalls of HIV-1 Serologic Laboratory Testing
Detection of HIV-specific antibodies forms the corner stone for laboratory diagnosis of HIV infections. Serologic methods are routinely used to determine whether a host is infected with HIV, to evaluate the status of infections, and to assist monitoring antiretroviral therapy. Primary diagnosis of HIV infection is commonly accomplished by serology via detection of HIV antibody using a screening...
متن کاملThe Continued Utility and Viability of Dakin’s Solution in Both High- and Low-resource Settings
Healthcare is expensive and often inaccessible to many. As a result, surgeons must consider simple, less expensiveinterventions when possible. For wound care, an older but quite effective cleaning agent is Dakin’s solution (0.5%sodium hypochlorite), an easily made mixture of 100 milliliters (ml) bleach with 8 teaspoons (tsp) baking soda into agallon of clean water or 25 ml ble...
متن کاملSample preparation: a challenge in the development of point-of-care nucleic acid-based assays for resource-limited settings.
Currently available nucleic acid testing (NAT)-based assays are complex and time-consuming, and they require expensive instrumentation and dedicated laboratory spaces for sample preparation as well as for amplification and detection of the nucleic acid target. Reagents required for these tests are also expensive and must be transported and stored refrigerated or frozen. These characteristics ha...
متن کاملAccess and Quality of HIV-Related Point-of-Care Diagnostic Testing in Global Health Programs.
Access to point-of-care testing (POCT) improves patient care, especially in resource-limited settings where laboratory infrastructure is poor and the bulk of the population lives in rural settings. However, because of challenges in rolling out the technology and weak quality assurance measures, the promise of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-related POCT in resource-limited settings has not b...
متن کامل